Window unit



J. P. DEMPSEY WINDOW UNIT Nov. 22, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 31, 1954 11V VE/V T0 .1 P Dempsey ATTORNEY Nov. 22, 1955 J.P. DEMPSEY 2,

WINDOW UNIT Filed March 31, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet I2 Fig. 4A

fi 7 J. Dempsey ATTQENFY United States Patent 2,724,153 WINDOWUNIT J P. Dempsey, Arlington, Va.

Application March 31, 1954, Serial No. 420,090

17 Claims. (or. 20-11 The present invention relates to building construction and more particularly to windows and the inside trim and outside casing for the windows in such building and the method of installing such windows, the inside trim and outside casing therefor.

Heretofore, windows have been installed in buildings but the wall thickness of buildings had to be accurately maintained so that the jamb depth of a given window frame would fit the building throughout the entire structure to avoid large inventories of windows. having different jamb widths for different thicknesses of walls. As a result, building construction has been limited to a few conventional building materials such as laths and plaster on the inside wall and sheathing and weatherboard on the outside walls. This standardization of construction has made it impractical to use interior and exterior wallboards of varying thicknesses unless an excessive amount of skilled labor was used to properly fit the windows or unless the windows were made to order for the specific overall thickness of the resulting wall.

An object of the present invention is to provide a win dow frame having a sill, vertical jambs and a top jamb, and sashes mounted therein for ready application to building construction regardless of the exact dimensions of the interior and exterior sheathing material.

Another object of the invention is to provide interior trim for windows which is precut at a mill and applied to the window with a minimum of labor.

A further object is to provide interior trim material of a minimum number of parts by providing trim strips which also serve as the inside window stops.

Another object of the invention is to provide brick molding, exterior trim, or outside casing for a window which is precut to size and is adaptable for difierent thicknesses of wall without manual cutting.

A further object of the invention is to provide exterior trim which may be milled to the proper thickness for accommodating any thickness of wall in one operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide outside casing and interior trim for a frame to be used in an opening in a wall to reduce the labor and cost of installation as well as the cost of material in the frame and in the outside casing and interior trim.

A further object is to provide a method of installation of windows, including interior and exterior trim whereby the installation may be made with minimum labor costs.

Other and further objects will be apparent as the description proceeds and upon reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is an outside elevation of a double-hung window unit including the sliding sashes made according to the present invention with the outside trim or brick molding in position;

Fig. 2, an inside elevation of the window unit with the interior trim and combination stool and apron in position;

ice

Figs. 3, 4, 4A, 5, and 6, sections taken on line YY of Fig. 2 showing the use of the present invention with interior wallboard and exterior sheathing of different thicknesses with the exterior trim or brick molding adjusted to take care of the variation in overall thicknesses of the wall;

Fig. 7, a horizontal section looking downwardly taken of two adjacent double-hung windows with their adjacent jambs in abutting relation with a portion of each window cut away, and showing the interior mullion trim and the exterior mullion on the edges of such abutting jambs;

Fig. 8, a vertical section taken on line d-fi of Fig. 2 with the intermediate portion of the window broken Figs. 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, vertical sections of the top jamb of window frames installed in walls of difierent thicknesses and illustrating possible adjustments pro vided by the outside casing or brick molding to accommodate for different thickness of wall resulting from the use of various thicknesses of outside sheathing and inside wallboard Fig. 14, a rear perspective view of the two vertical and single horizontal outside casing or brick molding strips; and

Fig. 15, an enlarged section of the outside casing strip material or brick molding taken substantially on the plane 15--15 of Fig. 14. t i

The present invention relates to a complete doublehung window unit for use in buildings particularly where the precise wall thickness is not known and whereby the window unit may be installed in a building regardless of the exact thickness of the wall and the adjustment for variation in thickness of the wall may be made by the outside casing or brick molding strip. The window unit includes a more or less conventional outwardly and downwardly sloping sill, vertical side jambs or frame members and a top frame member or header with suitable parting strips in the jambs for receiving sliding upper and lower window sashes and maintaining such sashes in proper operating relation. A blind stop is secured in substantially flush relation with the outside surface of each vertical jamb and a blind stop is secured to the top frame member or head jamb so that the upper edge of such head jamb with the blind stop does not extend above the upper ends of the vertical jambs. The window frame is mounted in a building wall so that the inner edges of the jambs and sill are substantially flush with the inner surface of the wallboard or plaster finish in the building. A combination stool and apron made of one piece of material has its apron portion extending over the inside wallboard below the window and the horizontal stoop portion overlapping the upper edge of the sill and extending toward the path of movement of the lower sash but terminating so that the lower sash may be slid to abut the sill. A novel L-shaped molding strip having one relatively wide flange provides the trim to hide the joint between the jamb and inside stop for the window with the larger flange projecting beyond the jamb to which it is attached and concealing the joint between the inside wallboard and the adjacent window jamb, the smaller flange extending inside of the jamb to which it is attached and serving as a stop to guide the lower sash in its sliding movement. The angle-shaped trim strips are mitred at the corners to give a neat appearance.

The sill projects beyond. the outer surface of the wall and a novel type of casing is provided in the form of a strip having a groove or rabbet of appreciable width formed in one surface thereof and the material of this casing strip being thicker at one side of the groove than at the other. Such casing strips are fastened to the outside edge of the jambs of the windowframe in a more or less conventional manner and the dilference in thickness. between the portions of the casing strips provide for differences in the wall thickness and the corresponding dimension of thewindow frame. If the pre-selected dimensions do not fully correspond to the resulting difference in thickness of thewall and depth of the window frame, a single saw-cut of one portion of the casing strip on one side of the groove and parallel with the inner face of the outside casing strip will result in the casing strip exactly fitting and compensating for the difference. The top or head casing strip is provided with notches formed in the ends of the thicker portion of the strip to make such notched portion of the same thickness as the portion of lesser thickness thereby permitting reversal of the top casing strip without requiring additional cutting or notching at the time of installation. Normally the casing strips are precut and the adjustment may be made in the field with a conventional power saw.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, a more or less conventional window frame includes a sill 20, a vertical jamb 21 on one side of the window and a vertical jamb 22 on the other side with a top jamb 23. The sill and top jamb may be mortised into the vertical jambs in the conventional: manner and secured by nails or the like. Blind stops 24 and 25 are provided on the outer edges of the vertical jambs21 and 22 and ablind stop 26 is provided for the top or head jamb 23. Such blind stops may be grooved on their inner faces and the corresponding jambs may be provided with a tongue for preventing relative displacement. Suitable nails 27 or the like secure the blind stops in position. A lower sliding window sash 28 and an upper sliding window sash 29 are mounted for sliding movement in the frame and metal guides 30 and 31 bent to the proper shape are mounted on the inner faces of the jambs 21 and 22 to provide for the sliding and Weatherstripping. The sashes are balanced by means of coil springs (not shown) which are mounted in guide channels (not shown). The edges of the sashes are grooved to accommodate such springs and channels and the springs are adjustable by attachment to the metal guides 30 or 31 by means of apertures in such guides. Since this structure is known, no further description thereof is included.

In the construction of the building, the conventional 2 x 4 vertical studding 32 and 33 and transverse members 34 and 35 are secured in place in a conventional manner with sufficient clearance to permit ready installation of a window frame. The window frame comprises the sill 20, upright jambs 21 and 22 and top jamb 23. Such window frame without or with sashes 28 and 29 in position therein is positioned and secured so that the inner edges of the jambs are substantially flush with the inside surface of inside wallboard 36. The wallboard is placed in position and secured either before or after the window frameis fixed, but in either case the inside edges of the jambs and sill are substantially flush with the inner surface of the wallboard. The outer sheathing 37 is secured in position in the usual manner either before or after the window frame is fixed.

The interior trim for the window includes a one piece combination 'stool and apron 38, a vertical trim strip 39 having a mitered upper end, a vertical trim strip 40 having an oppositely mitered upper end, and a horizontal top strip 41 having mitered ends to abut the mitered ends of upright trim strips 39 and 40. As will be apparent from the sectional views, the strips 39, 40 and 41 are of L- sh'aped section with the narrow flange extending within the window frame and serving as a stop or guide for the inside or lower sash. 28, the larger flange overlapping the inner edge of the jamb to which it is attached and also overlapping the wallboard 36 thereby effectively hiding the abutting edges of the wallboard and the adjacent jamb while sealing against the passage of air.

I The combination apron and stool 38 includes a horizontal window stool portion 42 which provides a narrow inwardly extendingflange 43 of the same width as the narrower flange of the L-shaped strips 39, 40 and 41, and a downwardly extending apron portion 44 provides a flange which covers the inner edge of the sill 20 and the abutting joint formed by such sill with the inner wallboard 36. The horizontal portion 42 includes an inwardly extending rib which with the flange 43 is approximately the width of a conventional window stool used as a trim for many windows, the rib being of a size corresponding to the thickness of a conventional window stool, thereby providing the illusion of a separate stool and apron.

From the above it will be apparent that the entire inside trim is accomplished by the use of only four pieces and such pieces also serve as the inside stop or guide for the sliding inner sash 28.

The outside casing or brick molding includes a vertical strip 45 on one side of the window and a vertical strip 46 on the other side of the window with the lower ends of such strips cut at an angle corresponding to the slope of the upper surface of the sill 20, the upper ends of such vertical casing strips terminating at approximately the lower surface of the head jamb 23 and a horizontal casing strip 47 overlies the upper ends of such strips 45 and 46 and said strips are secured by suitable means such as nails to the jambs and/or to the studding.

The casing strips 45, 46, and 47 are of a novel crosssectional shape as shown in the sectional view of strip 41 in Fig. 15. A groove or rabbet 48 is formed on the inner surface of the strip substantially centrally thereof and a surface 49 is provided by cutting away from material which was originally flush with a surface 5'0. The amount cut away from the surface 50 provides an offset a between such surfaces 49 and 50, the grooves 48 being of a depth b from the surface 50. In one embodiment the dimension a is Ms inch and dimension b is inch.

Depending on the relative thickness of the wall including the wallboard, sheathing and studding:

I. The outer surface of the blind stops may be inside of the plane of the outer surface of the sheathing 37 as shown in Figs. 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, and 13, when the combined thickness of the wallboard 36 and the outer sheathing 37 is relatively great.

II. In the event that the combined thicknesses of the wallboard 36 and the outer sheathing is relatively small, the position of the outer surfaces of blind stops 24, 25 and 26 are then located outwardly of the outer surface of the sheathing 37 as shown in Figs. 4, 4A, 6, 8, 9, and 11.

III. Under some circumstances the outer surfaces of the blind stops 24, 25 and 26 may be substantially flush with the sheathing 37 although this condition is not shown in the drawings.

Referring to Fig. 3, the strips 45 and 46 are used without modification, the outer surface of the exterior sheathing 37 being spaced outwardly from the outer surface of the blind stops 24 and 25 by the distance a. In Fig. 4 the outer surface of the blind stops 24 are located outwardly of the outer surface of the sheathing 37 by the amount a and therefore the casing strips 45 and 46 may be used without modification for either the condition of Fig. 3 or the condition of Fig. 4 by merely interchanging their locations. Similarly Figs. 9 and 10 show the outer casing strip 47 in use without modification thereof when the outer surface of the blind stop 26 is outwardly or inwardly respectively of the outer surface of the sheathin 37.

In Fig. 4A, the portion of the casing strip between surface 49 and the bottom of the groove has been cut away thereby reducing the thickness by an amount equal to b minus a for taking care of the difference in the thickness of the wall and the depth of the window frame corresponding to dimension a.

Similarly, in Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, and 13, a portion of the strips 45,46, and 47 have been cutaway to provide for the offset resulting in the difference in dimension of the thickness of the wall and the depth of the window frame. It will be apparent that the cutting action may be made by a conventional circular saw with a guide and a single cut removes the necessary amount of material to provide a casing strip for the particular condition. With the present arrangement, the window frames may be constructed in a conventional manner and the outside casing strips provided without regard to the exact thickness dimension of thewall in which the window frame is to be used. In the event that a thin inside wallboard is used the conditions may be compensated for by the structure shown in Figs 4A and 11, for example, and in the event of appreciably thicker outside sheathing and inside wallboards, the conditions shown in Figs. 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, or 13 may occur. However, in any case, a single cut with a circular saw will result in the strips 45, 46, and 47 being correct for the particular installation. It will be obvious that a casing strip having a fiat surface may be used for the side casing in the event that a flush relation between the outer surface of the window frame and the outer surface of the outside sheathing should occur and the present strips could be cut to accomplish this purpose by re- ,moving a thickness of material a from the portion of.

the strip adjacent surface 50 of the strip.

The strip 47 is provided with a cut-out or notch 51 to lower the surface 50 to the level of the surface 49 so that the strip 47 maybe used for the conditions shown in Fig. 9 or Fig. 10 without requiring any further operation since the notches 51 take care of the fact that the portion of the strip adjacent surface 50 overlaps the sheathing at the edges outwardly of the jambs 21 and 22.

From the above description it will be apparent that applicant has provided seven strips for use in trimming the interior and exterior of a window frame to provide an attractive appearance as well as to effectively seal the space between the window frame and the .inside wallboard or plaster. The outside casing or brick molding strips seal the space between the window frame and the outside sheathing. The strips are precut for use on the job therefore avoiding any delay in sawing such strips to the proper length and in the event that any adjust ment to compensate for different thicknesses in walls is required, this can be done on a production basis in the field by the simple use of a conventional circular saw, a single cut in each outside casing strip performing the entire adjustment.

Referring to Fig. 7, a form of the invention in which two window frames are positioned side by side is shown, the window frames being identical with the frames prev1- ously described, one window being designated with the same reference numerals followed by the letter A. In this arrangement, the studs 32A and 33A are spaced apart a sufficient distance to accommodate the plurality of windows and the vertical jambs 22A and 21A are positioned in abutting relation and the window frames mounted in the usual manner, the inside trim strips 39 and 40 being substantially the same, but an interior mullion trim of generally U-shaped section is provided and includes the flanges 53 and 54 which serve as stops or guides for the lower sashes 28 and 28A, the extreme outside window casing strips 45 and 46 being similar to thosepreviously ous changes may be made in the invention ,without ded parting from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is shown in the drawings nor by that which is described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is: j

1. Exterior trim for a window frame having jambs of constant width regardless of the precise size or thickness of the wall to which such window frame is applied, said trim having a surface for application toward the jambs of the window frame and the exterior surface of the sheathing of a house, said trim being provided with a longitudinal groove substantially centrally of the said surface, said surface having a surface portion on each side of said groove with one surface portion being located outwardly and offset from the other surface portion whereby the exterior trim is adapted to accommodate for a non-flush relation between the jambs of the window frame and the exterior surface of the sheathing, the top exterior trim being notched at its ends from the said one surface por tion so that the surface portion of the notch is substantially in the same plane as said other surface portion, said exterior trim being adaptable to have longitudinal cuts made from the edge to the groove whereby the effective outward ffset of the exterior trim can be adjusted for various thicknesses of walls.

2. Exterior trim for a window frame having frame members of constant width regardless of the precise size or thickness of the wall to which such window frame is applied, said trim having a surface for application toward the frame members and the exterior surface of the sheathing of a house, said trim being provided with a longitudinal groove substantially centrally of the said surface, said surface having a surface portion on each side of said groove with one surface portion being located outwardly and offset from the other surface portion whereby the exterior trim is adapted to accommodate for a non-flush relation between the framemembers of the window frame and the exterior surface of the sheathing.

,3. Exterior trim for a window frame having frame members which includes a sill and a top frame member and blind stops providing a constant depth regardless of the precise thickness of the .wall in which such frame is applied, said exterior trim having a surface of two steps arranged in substantially parallel and offset relation and said trim strip being provided with a centrally disposed groove between the surfaces of said steps, said groove being of appreciably greater depth than the offset of said steps, one trim strip being provided for each vertical frame member and of a length to extend from the sill to the lower surface of the top frame member, said vertical trim strips having theirlower edges cut at an incline corresponding to that of the sill, a trim strip for the top frame member having a surface of the steps arranged in substantially parallel relation with a centrally disposed groove therein, the thicker portion of said top trim strip being cut away at its ends from the said step surface to the same thickness as the portion of less thickness permitting reverse application to the top frame member with out alteration.

4. A double'hung window construction comprising a plurality of window frames, sashes slidably mounted in said window frames, said window frames being arranged in side by side relation with frame members abutting, trim strips of L-shaped cross-section mounted on the inside edges of the peripheral frame members, a trim strip of U-shaped cross-section mounted on the inside edge of the abutting frame members, the legs of said U- shaped trim strip and the shorter leg of said L-shaped trim strips serving as stops for the window sash, outside casing strips on the outer edges of the peripheral frame members, said outside casing strips having one surface with portions at different elevations for accommodating for variations in the thicknesses of walls relative to the depth of the window frame, anda mullion casing strip on the outer edges of the abutting frame members.

5. The invention according to claim 2 in which the groove is of an inch in depth and one of the said surface portions is /6 of an inch below the other of said surface portions.

6. A three piece casing for covering the joint formed between the sheathing and outside edges of the jamb of a window frame, each strip comprising a body of suitable length, width, and thickness, onesurface of said body having one surface portion in offset relation to another surface portion, thereby providing portions of said body of different thicknesses in accordance with the amount of said offset, said strips being adjustable to accommodate different depths of window frame by a single cut changing the amount of said offset of said surface portions to the difference between the depth of said frame and the thickness of the wall to which such frame is applied.

7. Casing strips for application to a window frame, each casing strip having an exposed surface and a surface for application to the window frame, said surface for application to said window frame being provided with a narrow groove between the side edges thereof, said groove permitting adjustment of the casing to accommodate for the variation in depth of a window frame in relation to the thickness of wall to which the casing strips are to be applied so that a single cut from a side edge to the groove will provide the proper offset.

8. A reversible member for application to a window frame used in an opening in a wall to cover the joint between the window frame and an adjacent wall of a thickness corresponding to, less than, or greater than the depth of the window frame, said reversible member having offset surface portions on the face of the strip which is applied to the window frame and the adjacent wall, the amount of offset of said surface portions being substan-. tially equal to the difference between the depth of the window frame and the thickness of the wall to permit the use of a standard fixed depth window frame with walls of different thicknesses and, by reducing the higher of the two offset portions to the height of the other, the reversible member can be used with frames of equal depth to the thickness of the wall to which it is applied.

9. A pair of interchangeable casing members for application to a frame of fixed depth used in an opening in a wall to cover the joint between the frame and the wall to which the frame is applied and where the wall may be of a thickness equal to, less than or greater than the depth of the frame, said frame having a sill, said interchangeable members having offset surface portions on the face of the strip which is applied to the frame and adjacent wall, the amount of offset of said surface portions being substantially equal to the difference between the depth of the frame and the thickness of the wall to permit the use of the standard fixed depth frame with walls of different thicknesses and by reducing the higher of the two offset portions to the height of the lower, the interchangeable members can be used with walls of a thickness equal to the fixed depth of frame, each interchangeable member having its lower end cut at an angle to the offset surfaces to correspond to the slope of the sill of the frame, the amount of offset of said surface portions on the face of the strips applied to the frame and adjacent wall being a predetermined amount so that the standard fixed depth frame may be used directly without alteration in walls differing in thickness from the frame by twice such predetermined amount of the offset.

10. The combination with the exterior trim as defined in claim 1 of inside trim including strips of material of L- shaped cross section having one laterally extending flange for overlapping the window frame on the inner surface of such frame and serving as a window stop, the other flange being integral with said first flange and overlapping the inside edge of the frame and the adjacent surface of the adjacent wall covering, said strips serving as the trim for the entire inside edges of the frame members and providing a neat appearance to accurately and completely hide the joint between the wall covering and the inside edge of the frame members whereby a minimum number of trim strips are required thereby reducing the labor of installation.

11. The combination of the exterior trim as defined in claim 2 of inside trim including strips of material of L- shaped cross section having one laterally extending flange for overlapping the window frame on the inner surface of such frame and serving as a window stop, the other flange being integral with said first flange and overlapping the inside edge of the frame and the adjacent surface of the adjacent wall covering, said strips serving as the trim for the entire inside edges of the frame members and providing a neat appearance to accurately and completely hide the joint between the wall covering and the inside edge of the frame members whereby a minimum number of trim strips are required thereby reducing the labor of installation.

12. The combination with the exterior trim as defined in claim 3 of inside trim including strips of materials of L- shaped cross section having one laterally extending flange for overlapping the window frame on the interior surface of such frame and serving as a window stop, the other flange being integral with said first flange and overlapping the inside edge of the frame and the adjacent surface of the adjacent wall covering, said strips serving as the trim for the entire inside edges of the frame members and providing a neat appearance to accurately and completely hide the joint between the wall covering and the inside edge of the frame members whereby a minimum number of trim strips are required thereby reducing the labor of installation.

13. The combination with the exterior trim as defined in claim 2 in which the groove is of an inch in depth and one of the surface portions is A of an inch below the other of said surface portions of inside trim including strips of material of L-shaped cross section having one laterally extending flange for overlapping the window frame on the inner surface of such frame and serving as a window stop, the other flange being integral with said first flange and overlapping the inside edge of the frame and the adjacent surface of the adjacent wall covering said strips serving as the trim for the entire inside edges of the frame members and providing a neat appearance to accurately and completely hide the joint between the wall covering and the inside edge of the frame members whereby a minimum number of trim strips are required thereby reducing the labor of installation.

14. The combination with the three piece casing as defined in claim 6 of inside trim including strips of material of L-shaped cross section having one laterally extending flange for overlapping the window frame on the inner surface of such frame and serving as a window stop, the other flange being integral with said first flange and overlapping the inside edge of the frame and the adjacent surface of the adjacent wall covering, said strips serving as the trim for the entire inside edges of the frame members and providing a neat appearance to accurately and completely hide the joint between the wall covering and the inside edge of the frame members whereby a minimum number of trim strips are required thereby reducing the labor of installation.

15. The combination with casing strips as defined in claim 7 of inside trim including strips of material of L- shaped cross section having one laterally extending flange for overlapping the window frame on the inner surface of such frame and serving as a window stop, the other flange being integral with said first flange and overlapping the inside edge of the frame and the adjacent surface of the adjacent wall covering, said strips serving as the trim for the entire inside edges of the frame members and providing a neat appearance to accurately and cominside edge of the frame members whereby "a minimum number of trim strips are required thereby reducing the labor of installation.

16. The combination with the reversible member as defined in claim 8 of inside trim including strips of material of L-shaped cross section having one laterally extending flange for overlapping the window frame on the inner surface of such frame and serving as a window stop, the other flange being integral with said first flange and overlapping the inside edge of the frame and the adjacent surface of the adjacent wall covering, said strips serving as the trim for the entire inside edges of the frame members and providing a neat appearance to accurately and completely hide the joint between the wall covering and the inside edge of the frame members whereby a minimum number of trim strips are required thereby reducing the labor of installation.

17. The combination with a pair of interchangeable casing members as defined in claim 9 of inside trim including strips of material of L-shaped cross section having one laterally extending flange for overlapping the frame on the inner surface of such frame and serving as a stop, the other flange being integral with said first flange and overlapping the inside edge of the frame and the adjacent surface of the adjacent wall covering, said strips serving as the trim for the inside edges of the frame members and providing a neat appearance to accurately and completely hide the joint between the wall covering and the inside edge of the frame members whereby a minimum number of trim strips are required thereby reducing the labor of installation.

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